TV Show Review

TV Review: RAY DONOVAN: Season 2, Episode 4: Suck [Showtime]

Liev Schreiber Craig Ricci Shaynak Ray Donovan Suck

Showtime’s Ray Donovan Suck TV Show Review. Ray Donovan: Season 2, Episode 4: Suck featured the inevitable: coitus between Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber) and Kate McPherson (Vinessa Shaw). It was inevitable because: they both were not blind to the others’ appearance, competence, and doggedness when it came to their work. They were reflections of each other. It would have been better for Donovan, the reporter situation (McPherson’s investigation into Sully’s death), and his marriage if he had stayed strong and resisted McPherson sexually but it would not have been better for the show. Their sexual romp adds a new complication into the growing situation, a variable manipulated almost the instant Donovan stepped off of McPherson’s elevator.

For a man that is able to read people and a situations, Ray Donovan seems incapable of doing the same when he is at home with his family. Did he really think his wife wouldn’t notice that he suddenly went from having intercourse with her twice a day to going cold turkey overnight? A new variable had been added into their equation and Abby Donovan (Paula Malcomson) immediately smelled it. How could Ray Donovan be so aloof that he did not think his wife would see the truth or recognize that something sexual had changed?

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Tiny (Craig Ricci Shaynak) was the wandering, lingering loose ends that no modern day mobster would allow to exist. At the very least they would have kept taps on Tiny and known where he was and what he was doing at all times. Ray Donovan did not bother to do either and it came back to bite him where the sun does not shine in Suck.

Tiny’s exfiltration refusals were his death sentence, a course of action Donovan was almost desperate to avoid. Tiny was such a nincompoop that he did not realize that the way out Donovan was offering him was his last way out alive. Tiny knew too much and had already shown that he couldn’t keep the secret he was carrying.

The last meal was a sweet gesture and the fact that Tiny did not pick up on it or how nice and understanding Ray was being toward him was not surprising. Tiny had already proven himself to be a moron on numerous occasions leading up to his last supper.

Tiny’s killer was surprising and yet fitting as well. At first the killer was Ray Donovan’s pawn and now he is Ed Cochran (Hank Azaria)’s as well. Having two families coterminous, one unbeknownst to the other, places the philander-turned-hitman in a untenable situation.

Speaking of situations, there was something off about Scrabble night the moment the door opened and married couple number two (The Volcheks) stood in the doorway, one of them visibly uncomfortable. From what happened briefly in the kitchen between Ed Cochran and Megan Volchek (Andrea Bogart) plus the lewdness of one of the spelled Scrabble words, I am expecting some type of partner swapping to take place in the next episode entitled Irish Spring. If it does and Ray Donovan finds out about it, it will give Ray the leverage he needs over Cochran.

Bunchy Donovan (Dash Mihok)’s storyline this season was a question mark. Where would Ray Donovan‘s writers take him as his storyline seemed to come full circle last season? Suck answered that question in a positive way but the question is whether or not Bunchy is stable enough to handle what has been laid out in front of him.

Leave your thoughts on this review and this episode of Ray Donovan below in the comments section. For more Ray Donovan reviews, photos, videos, and information, visit our Ray Donovan Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on TwitterTumblr, or “like” us on Facebook.

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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